ECU at No. 25 (in one poll, anyway)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution college football columnist Tony Barnhart placed East Carolina as the No. 25 football team in the country. Even better, 59 percent of the readers agreed with him in an online poll. Here's what he had to say:

25. East Carolina: The defending Conference USA champs return 15 starters, including quarterback Patrick Pinkney, who threw for 2,675 yards and 13 touchdowns for a 9-5 team. The offensive line returns intact. Non-conference trips to West Virginia and North Carolina, plus a home game with Virginia Tech, means ECU won't be a BCS-buster. But the Pirates are capable of winning C-USA again.

Good points -- but if we beat those three teams...